The Chicago Model

with Gerald Adelmann, Peter Loehr moderator, Peggy O'Donnell recorder

Jerry Adelmann, executive director of the Canal Corridor Association, regaled a large group with further details about the development and management of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Peter Loehr was moderator and Peggy O’Donnell took notes.

When all of the different sites along the corridor are counted, Adelmann said, more than five million people visit the I & M Canal each year. Eight million people live within a 90-minute drive of the canal, so, for many this is a day trip. The Association would like to get more people to stay overnight, but high-quality hotel rooms are at capacity. The real key to continued growth, however, is to continue connecting the many small attractions along the canal to the idea of the corridor, that is, making one destination out of many.

One of their needs is to strengthen the link with the city of Chicago. The Stevenson Expressway cut off the final leg of the canal. The original canal never actually went to Lake Michigan, only the Chicago River. Local groups have sprung up to take care of the river and canal, but public awareness is still low. The canal motto of “forever open, free and clear” was part of what made Chicago, but the fact remains little known.

The Canal Corridor Association has had to grapple with some of the issues Buffalo now faces with the western terminus. Adelmann said they are studying the possibility of reconstructing and re-watering parts of their canal. But much of the history has been obliterated by the highway construction.

The current story is one of complex inter-organizational collaboration. A federal commission created in 1984 provides coordination and technical assistance with a staff of three. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources owns and manages most of the corridor as a linear park 62 miles long. The state maintains two canal locks. Local historical societies, Rotary Clubs, and others work on a volunteer basis. And the Canal Corridor Association provides planning, organization, and promotion with a $1.5 million budget it raises from numerous sources, public and private.

But the history is still key. What was once a passageway for Native Americans, became an artery of commerce and industry, and is now a venue for recreation and learning. Telling that story for the I & M Canal effectively will require connecting to the Erie Canal, Adelmann said. Meanwhile, the most concrete thing Buffalo can do is “let the stories lead.”

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